A Magazine of Critical Inquiry and Social Concern. Atheism: Proving The Negative. Epiphenom. Friendly Atheist — by Hemant Mehta. Alberta Officials Reject Proposed Catholic Sex Ed Lessons That “Deny Science” Alberta officials deserve praise for this strong stance against harmful misinformation.
Read more Gordon Klingenschmitt: “The Church Should Take Over the Government” Gordon Klingenschmitt, the former Colorado State Rep. who eventually lost his seat in part because of his theocratic fantasies, is at it again. Why do Americans still dislike atheists? Is this knee-jerk dislike of atheists warranted?
Not even close. A growing body of social science research reveals that atheists, and non-religious people in general, are far from the unsavory beings many assume them to be. On basic questions of morality and human decency — issues such as governmental use of torture, the death penalty, punitive hitting of children, racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, environmental degradation or human rights — the irreligious tend to be more ethical than their religious peers, particularly compared with those who describe themselves as very religious. Consider that at the societal level, murder rates are far lower in secularized nations such as Japan or Sweden than they are in the much more religious United States, which also has a much greater portion of its population in prison.
As individuals, atheists tend to score high on measures of intelligence, especially verbal ability and scientific literacy. Vridar. Freethought Blogs. Dwindling In Unbelief. Atheist Ethicist.